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Sunday, December 16, 2012

Recipe: Wild Rice & Mushroom Soup

When I first made this souplast spring, we were eating dairy. Of course the soup had milk in it, but it also featured a Parmesan cheese rind cooked in the soup, which made it absolutely magical. As in, best soup I've ever had, magical. I know the soup will be good without it, but I'm not sure what would give it the same depth of character. If you have any ideas, please do share. I think using cashew cream will be a start.

Bring 4 cups of water and 1 teaspoon of water to a boil. Add the wild
rice and reduce to a simmer. Cook for 45 minutes until the rice is
tender. Set aside rice, undrained.

While the rice cooks, prepare the rest of the
soup. Warm a teaspoon of oil in a dutch oven over
medium-high heat. Add the onions and celery with a half teaspoon of
salt, and cook until the onions are very soft, and starting to brown,
6-8 minutes. Turn the heat down to medium and stir in the mushrooms and
another half teaspoon of salt. Cook until the mushrooms have released
all their liquid and turned dark brown, at least 20 minutes.

Add
the garlic and oregano, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Sprinkle the flour over the veggies and stir until the vegetables become
sticky and there is no more visible dry flour. Increase the heat again
to medium-high and pour in the white wine. Stir and scrape the brown bits from
the bottom of the pan. Continue simmering until the wine has reduced
and thickened a bit.

Add the bay leaf, rosemary, wild rice, and cooking water
from the rice. Add two cups of broth to start. Bring to a boil, then
reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 20-30 minutes to meld
the flavors. Add the cashew cream. Simmer for another
10-15 minutes, until the soup has thickened to your liking. Add
additional broth if needed.

Salt and pepper to taste.

Approximately 375 calories per serving, 12.5 grams of protein per serving, and the soup is high in phosphorus and niacin.